Monday, March 24, 2014

Meet yet another loser in the Winningham minimum wage jihad.

Immediately increasing the minimum wage to $15
per hour in Seattle would be extremely problematic for nonprofit
organizations that provide care for people with intellectual and
development disabilities, writes guest columnist Sylvia Fuerstenberg.

As a nonprofit leader who is concerned with social justice, I’ve lost many nights of sleep considering this issue.

How can we build a more just and equitable community without bankrupting the organizations that help our most vulnerable?

That’s what may happen if the city of Seattle raises the minimum wage
from $9.32 to $15 an hour. An advisory committee appointed by Seattle
Mayor Ed Murray is exploring how to raise wages to $15 and is expected
to recommend changes at the end of April.

Support for a minimum-wage increase is spreading regionally and
throughout the country. President Obama in a recent address stated, “...
Americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full time should
ever have to raise a family in poverty.”

We agree on this point, but the timing and planning of the
implementation is critical to keep businesses and nonprofits
sustainable.

In my agency, The Arc of King County, I’m responsible for 77
employees. Since 1936, The Arc has provided supports and services to
individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their
families throughout all of King County.
In Washington state, people can either choose to get care in one of
the state’s four institutions or opt for services in the community in an
integrated setting, at a much reduced cost to the state. The Arc
provides care in the community.

Follow by Email

Subscribe To

Words of Wisdom

"No one is more hated than he who speaks the truth."

Plato

"This country has shed more blood for the freedom of other people than all the other nations in the history of the world combined, and I'm tired of people feeling like they've got to apologize for America."

Sen. Fred Thompson (R-TN)

“In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

George Orwell, the author of 1984

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Dr. Martin Luther King

"Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom."

Alexis de Tocqueville

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."Niccolo Machiavelli

“Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Washington State Constitution, Declaration of Rights

"All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights." - Article 1, Section 1

"The right of petition and of the people peaceably to assemble for the common good shall never be abridged." - Article 1, Section 4

"The first power reserved by the people is the initiative." - Article 2, Section 1(a)